Written Directions

This one is easy - Just take US 250 between Staunton, VA and Elkins, WV - easy to find on any map!

Scenery

On this road, you will ride up and over two large mountains and on both sides you will be treated to some panoramic vista views of the valley below. As you ride in the valleys you will see (at various times) some beautiful farm land as well as miles of thick forest as you hug the banks of various wide & rocky creek beds in certain sections. I understand that these large creeks serve as the headwaters for the Potomac and the James rivers.When I ran this section - I did it on a Saturday morning. I left Staunton at 6:45am and I had this road all to myself with literally NO traffic to get in my way - I highly recommend this approach to get the most out of this great road.. Road Quality: 3US 250 provides some very technically challenging switchbacks, tight corners, elevation changes etc. There are a few breaks in between the mountain ascents and decents - the valleys are a nice break. If you enjoy taking-on challenging roads - you will really love this one. The road quality varies from good to fair. Some sections are a bit rough, with heavy and uneven patchwork. There are no sections of this particular stretch of road that I would label as "poor". Roadside Amenities:: 4There are plenty of places to eat and things to do in Staunton and Elkins. In the middle of the route you will travel through the George Washington National Park and the Monongahela National Park. Both are spectacular forests with lots of picnic areas, hiking, scenic overlooks etc. Staunton is a much bigger town and has more to offer. Both are college towns.* Monterey,VA - near the middle of this route (at the intersection of US 250 and US 220) was labeled by Dale Coyner in his book Motorcycle Journeys Through the Appalachians as "the most rider friendly town" due to the number of local riding enthusiasts and their hospitality towards others with the same passion.

Road Quality

US 250 provides some very technically challenging switchbacks, tight corners, elevation changes etc. There are a few breaks in between the mountain ascents and decents - the valleys are a nice break. If you enjoy taking-on challenging roads - you will really love this one. The road quality varies from good to fair. Some sections are a bit rough, with heavy and uneven patchwork. There are no sections of this particular stretch of road that I would label as "poor".

Roadside Amenities

There are plenty of places to eat and things to do in Staunton and Elkins. In the middle of the route you will travel through the George Washington National Park and the Monongahela National Park. Both are spectacular forests with lots of picnic areas, hiking, scenic overlooks etc. Staunton is a much bigger town and has more to offer. Both are college towns.

* Monterey,VA - near the middle of this route (at the intersection of US 250 and US 220) was labeled by Dale Coyner in his book Motorcycle Journeys Through the Appalachians as "the most rider friendly town" due to the number of local riding enthusiasts and their hospitality towards others with the same passion.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) : State: West Virginia (1/2 of this route is in Virginia too) Brad Morgan

By Akumuon December 28, 20135 out of 5 members found this review useful.

5.0out of 5

Motorcycle Year 2005

Motorcycle Make Honda

Motorcycle Type Sport-Touring

My favorite road once you get east of Mill Creek. A few straight jammed in between twisty insanity the further east you get and into Virginia. Roads like this one are the things that make winters so torturous when you get to thinking about them. Cannot recommend it and WV/VA 33 enough.

A few friends and I did this ride last weekend (early July 09). Unfortunately, 5 minutes after we started into the highly anticipated mountain-road rollercaster, the sky opened up and dumped on us - a torential down pour! This put a serious damper (excuse the pun) on things as we had to slow it way down and missed that exhilarating adrenaline rush of the ride. It didn't help that we had a rider along that lacked confidenence in cornering. But once the rain stopped, it was still a remarkable ride through the mountains and valleys and small, historic towns. Note to other riders: motels are far and few between along this route. There's 1 in Monterey that is reasonably priced for what it is. And onother in the next town (toward Elkins) that's about the same. If you can do the ride in a day, I suggest you hold out for Elkins, WV to get a motel room as there are more to choose from and extremely inexpensive. Plus if you still have energy left, there are a few places where you can go to socialize with the locals and have a celebration drink. So, for this rider, Rte. 250 is an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up - rain, rookie rider and all!! Be safe!

By Neetzoon August 1, 20143 out of 4 members found this review useful.

5.0out of 5

Motorcycle Year 2005

Motorcycle Make Honda ST 1300

Motorcycle Type Sport-Touring

You can make a spectacular loop using Rt. 250 as one leg. When you get to Staunton, VA, go NE on I-81 to Harrisonburg (just one exit). Then take Rt. 33 back to the NW (roughly parallel to 250) all the way back to Elkins,WVA. Rt. 33 is very twisty, spending a lot of time in deep forests. There are a couple gas stations/touristy shops along the way, but I can't specify exactly where, since it's been a couple years since I rode this route. Gotta get back there! 😎

By Gueston December 26, 20103 out of 3 members found this review useful.

5.0out of 5

Motorcycle Year 2000

Motorcycle Make Harley-Davidson

Motorcycle Type Touring

26 Dec 2010, and snowing. Rt 250 in W.V. is an awesome ride and part of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike which is a National Scenic Byway. I'm planning to do this ride when it warms up a bit. The byway follows 250 west from Va/WV state line to Rt 219 N to the Town of Beverly, then 33 through Elkins, Buckhannon, and Weston. Near Troy then Rt 47 to Parkersburg. I'll take three days to do this and check out the Little Kanawha Parkway on my way home. Go to http://byways.org/ to see other byways, it's a great resource for bikes and cages. Lets see is it still snowing?

By Gueston November 16, 20103 out of 5 members found this review useful.

No Rating Provided

Motorcycle Year

Motorcycle Make

Motorcycle Type

I have actually been on this stretch of road in a tanker tractor-trailer. I was going to Buchanan Wv. It didn't take me many miles to realize i had screwed up by going that way, luckily my tanker was empty, never again in a semi..

By Gueston October 16, 20103 out of 3 members found this review useful.

5.0out of 5

Motorcycle Year 1999

Motorcycle Make Harley-Davidson

Motorcycle Type Cruiser

Rt. 250 has got to be one of the best motorcycle rides in the eastern U.S. Love taking friends one this route for their first time. They all love it as much as I do. Everything is there, from long sweepers to some really tight turns, scenery and elevation. One of my favorites.

By Gueston February 16, 20102 out of 2 members found this review useful.

4.0out of 5

Motorcycle Year 1996

Motorcycle Make Suzuki

Motorcycle Type Sport-Touring

Rode this in Sept 2009. Bought a bike on ebay, drove out with a friend, rode the bike back. Rained on the way back, and there was plenty of loose gravel that had washed onto the road in a few switchbacks. Made for a scary ride since it was getting dark. Going to do it again on a nicer day though, as it was still an adventure.

We took this road from Snowshoe Mtn. Resort in Pocohantas County, WV through to Staunton, VA on our way to the Skyline Drive.
It is totally awesome. The curves and switchbacks are exhiliarting. Have you heard the experession the curves were so tight you could see your rear tailights in your side mirrors? Well, this was it!
Very challenging, but plenty of places to pull over and rest up for the next section.
Great ride for historical buffs as this was part of the War of the Northern Aggression (for Northerns that the Civil War) and you can stop and see actually trenches dug into the hills.
A definite must ride!

I have been riding this road for the past few years and it is a GREAT road. Like you said, it has some very challanging switchbacks but thats the fun of the road. I generally like stopping at the Confederate breastworks on the top of the mountain and enjoy the view with a nice cigar. Ride on brother, this is some of the best riding in the east in my opionion!

By Gueston September 21, 20131 out of 2 members found this review useful.

No Rating Provided

Motorcycle Year 1996chevy silverado with 14 foot enclosed trailer

Motorcycle Make 225,000 miles on speedo

Motorcycle Type Other

Loved the challenge, adventurous and sweet. smiling and hands, feet ,and eyes constantly moving watching for log haulers ,deer and other creatures to cross at any moment. It would be great to do in a sports car with manual trans. Felt like a long roller coaster ride .awesome trip home

By usagiyo11on June 9, 20131 out of 1 members found this review useful.

4.0out of 5

Motorcycle Year 2004

Motorcycle Make Kawasaki

Motorcycle Type Sport

Started out from Elkins, WV rode US-250S through Monongahela National Forest, WV-92S, WV-66W stopped at Cass Scenic Railroad and did the Snowshoe Challenge, then back up US-219N.
Road Conditions are average (some loose gravel, and a fair amount of patchwork)
US-250, you're climbing so it is technical with lots of twisties and switchbacks. Watch the gravel.
WV-92 is more or less uneventful, it is fast and fluid but, there is an opportunity for gas and a rest stop.
WV-66 is windy, challenging, and technical. It is patchy but, predictable. MUST go up to Snowshoe and do the challenge. Great Views, Very Technical, and above average road conditions make this a MUST!
WV-219N was a delightful surprise, it is fast and throws a lot of high speed long sweepers at you. Not very technical but fast. It was a great way to end my loop.
Unfortunately, did not get a chance to do the loop in the other direction, due to rain. So I got a little unfinished business there, Sound familiar?
Oh, and Cell Phone Coverage...FORGET IT! The National Radio Observatory is over by WV-92 it's a deadzone!

250 is a great road, especially between Huttonville, WV and Monterey, VA. Get gas in Huttonville because you'll have to wait til Monterey for your next chance. We had 4 turkeys that flew right over our head when going up the mountain. Once in Monterey, hit 220 north, another great road.

By dkurtz42on October 15, 20170 out of 0 members found this review useful.

5.0out of 5

Motorcycle Year 2015

Motorcycle Make Kawasaki

Motorcycle Type

Rode about 5 hours to get to 250 starting in Mill Creek. Perfect weather, leaves changing, minimal traffic. Even after riding 5 hours, I was excited from the second I hit the first mountain. The roads on the West Virginia side are pristine. Once into Virginia I did note the patch work made me a little uncomfortable to take corners with a lot of confidence. Not too many ridges but the color variation leaves you second guessing leaning the bike down. Lots of great curves and elevation changes. One of the best roads I've been on. Wished I was closer to ride it a few times a year. Will definitely be back.